


Rekindling

by chocoleche



Category: Haikyuu!!, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, But mostly angst, Fluff and Angst, Hogwarts, M/M, One time mention of KuroDai because I want Kuroo to have a muggle boyfriend shut up, Possible Character Death, Side BokuAka eventually maybe, Triwizard Tournament, UshiOi because rare pairs ayyye, Yule Ball, don't worry you guys the OiSuga will sadly be temporal because this is mainly UshiOi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-11-24
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:08:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4809158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chocoleche/pseuds/chocoleche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started because Ushijima Wakatoshi wanted a date for the Yule Ball. But he never imagined the Triwizard Tournament would have such a big impact on all aspects of his life. When he finds himself at risk of losing all that he ever considered important and dear, will he shun his pride and acknowledge he isn't some super-human who can do everything alone?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Pumpkin Fiasco

**Author's Note:**

> This idea was born off of incorrecthaikyuu's post on Tumblr about a drabble contest. As you can see, this will turn out to be a bit longer than a drabble. I hope you enjoy; this is my first time writing Ushijima, much less UshiOi, so I hope I do them justice. Updates might take a while because I have college and work, but I'll try to write something every week.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Oikawa hissed under his breath, having lost his cool and composed demeanour and now officially _freaking the fuck out_ in all possible senses of the word. Next to him, Matsukawa and Hanamaki tried their best (and, as expected, failed incredibly) to contain their laughter, having to go as far as to run away to keep themselves from cackling like madmen in the crowded corridor. Iwaizumi looked at his friend with an “I told you so” expression, relishing in the amazing feeling of _being right all along._

  
“I told you talking to him back then was a bad idea,” he said, patting Oikawa on the back and proceeding to walk back to their dorm.

  
Oikawa Tooru was a Slytherin in his sixth year, a muggle-born alien enthusiast, secret bookworm who loved Quidditch, volleyball, and magic equally. He was popular, handsome, and well-known among the student body. He had not yet secured a date for the oh so infamous Yule Ball because he was so busy studying for his N.E.W.T. the next year, despite having a lot of people following him around at all times in hopes of getting to invite him.

  
Ushijima Wakatoshi was a Hufflepuff in his sixth year, a pure-blood wizard who had quickly risen to fame as one of the best Quidditch players Hogwarts had ever produced. He was tall, strong, scary, and very straight-forward. He wanted Oikawa to be his date, and, unbeknownst to his dense self, had a way to ensure Oikawa couldn’t decline.

  
And now, there they stood. Oikawa standing on a connecting bridge overlooking a pumpkin patch, a series of pumpkins surrounded by unfaltering flames despite the snow spelling out “BE MY DATE”, and Ushijima looking up at him from below with metaphorical fire in his eyes. Whether it was planned or it happened to be just pure luck, at least a couple hundreds of students were witnessing the whole thing, gasping and taking pictures and snickering and some being disappointed that they had not thought of something so grand and flashy before.

  
In 21st-century Hogwarts, queerness was nothing out of the ordinary, so the fact a guy had been the one to ask Oikawa out was not a big deal. What really caught people off guard was the fact it was _Ushijima_ of all people. The two had probably never spoken in their lives. But the truth was, Oikawa and Ushijima had been really close their first year at Hogwarts, Oikawa simply drifted away after either a misunderstanding or a fight or just because people change. And that was it, they had not spoken in the last 5 years, other than unavoidable things like acknowledging each other’s presence. So the fact Ushijima Wakatoshi, a full-time athlete completely devoted to what he was best at, had been harbouring a crush big enough to lead him to do something like this for half a decade really left Oikawa with a lot to think of. He felt his cheeks getting warmer as the people nearby urged him on, demanding an answer. “Well? What’s it going to be, Oikawa?”

  
He pulled his scarf up enough to cover his reddening face. “Yeah, whatever!” he proclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear. The multitude cheered. Ushijima looked like he could probably faint (who knew someone like him had emotions?). Oikawa peeked at Ushijima from behind his green and silver scarf, slightly furrowing his brow and sticking his tongue out at him like the child he sometimes was. Then he ran away, back to the safety of his dorm.

 

***

  
Several hours after that painfully embarrassing public display of affection, Oikawa had searched for Ushijima. They had to talk. They met up in a dark corner of the castle at night, when everyone was (supposed to be) asleep, and Oikawa had gotten his chance to speak his mind—for about 2 and a half hours. When he was done with his rant about how Ushijima couldn’t just force his way into his life after all that had happened, after being nothing more than acquaintances for 5 years; about how he would spike his food with laxatives for the rest of their student life if he ever involved an audience in anything having to do with the two of them again; about how he shouldn’t get any weird ideas because the only reason he agreed to be his date was because it would damage his reputation if he turned him down in front of all those people, it was Ushijima’s turn to speak. He didn’t say much, aside from apologizing for each thing Oikawa had listed. “My feelings for you are real, and they’re there, even if I don’t fully understand them, and even if we’d both be better off without them.” He looked Oikawa in the eye. “Give me a chance to woo you.”

  
Oikawa’s voice broke, faltering under Ushijima’s heavy gaze, and he looked away. “Absolutely not. I don’t have time for romance, I’m busy with N.E.W.T.s, you have Quidditch.” He then caught himself and blushed. “I-It’s not like you’d have a chance if the situation were different! I have many more reasons why what you’re saying is crazy, okay?!”

  
Ushijima risked a bold move and held Oikawa’s hand. The other flinched, surprised not only by the action but by the fact Ushijima’s hand was so cold.

  
“Please look at me.” Oikawa grudgingly obeyed. Ushijima looked softer somehow, less scary and imposing and more pleading. That expression looked good on him, Oikawa thought. “Would you go to the Yule Ball with me? Now you can say ‘no’.”

  
Not even in Oikawa’s wildest dreams—or nightmares, really—would he be talking like a civilised person with Ushijima Wakatoshi, who was, as a plus, being so nice and gentle and caring and considerate. He was quickly getting overwhelmed, flashbacks from when they were kids racing through his mind. That first year at Hogwarts they’d been each other’s emotional support, before Oikawa met Iwaizumi and the rest. Maybe— _just maybe_ —this friendship was worth a shot again. He inhaled deeply and exhaled the following words: “I’ll go.” While the Triwizard Tournament was not a thing that happened regularly, and this Yule Ball would probably be the only Oikawa would ever attend in his lifetime, he didn’t really care much for it. He figured it’d be more important to him if he were in love, it’d be the equivalent of prom in muggle high schools: an important night to share with your friends and significant other, dancing, eating, and having fun. He wondered if the Yule Ball meant a lot to Ushijima, he wondered if that was the reason he was so intent on going with Oikawa.

  
Ushijima looked incredibly relieved. He grinned, a rare sight that caught Oikawa off-guard, making him smile as well. Oikawa checked his watch and frowned. “Hey, we should sleep now, it’s late.”

  
Ushijima nodded, standing up and offering his hand to Oikawa. He reached for it but stopped himself, choosing to stand up on his own. “Don’t… let this Yule Ball thing get to you, okay? The Tournament hasn’t even started.”

  
Ushijima nodded. “The participants will be chosen in two days, right?”

  
“Yeah, during the Halloween Feast.”

  
There was a small pause.

  
“Are you curious about who’ll be chosen?” asked Ushijima.

  
“What?” Oikawa looked at him as if he’d grown a new head, “Not really. Why?” Then realisation dawned on him. His eyes went wide. “Don’t tell me, you…”

  
Ushijima squared his shoulders and proudly lifted his chin. “I’m planning on winning.”

  
Oikawa narrowed his eyes. “And how are you so sure you’ll get chosen? They have a new system this year, not that old goblet.”

  
“Look at me, Oikawa. Do you think anyone else in Hogwarts is as qualified for that opportunity?”

  
Oikawa felt annoyance bubbling up inside him. “Why do you even want to do that? It’s stupid! Risking your life over something as insignificant as fame?!” He found himself shouting by that point.

  
“Oikawa… could it be that you’re envious of the champions? That you don’t trust your own skills?”

  
And that’s all it took for him to snap. Oikawa hated condescending people more than anyone, he hated those who clearly had talent, who had success guaranteed for the rest of their lives, trying to sympathise with the poor bastards who were unlucky enough to never hone a talent during their childhood—those who were moderately good at everything but not enough to stand out over the rest, those like Oikawa, who couldn’t claim to be really good at anything. _We work the hardest and yet they’ll always be one step ahead, we’ll never be anything more than “average” while they have their futures handed to them on a silver platter._

  
“You know what? Fuck you. If you want to go die in that stupid tournament, be my fucking guest. I can’t believe I actually considered giving a shit about you.”

  
“Oikawa, wait—“

  
He heard his name being called out.

  
“Tooru!”

  
But he was gone, and he wasn’t turning back under any circumstances. That night, neither of them got any sleep.


	2. (Almost) Death by Slippery Staircase

That night, Oikawa was so frustrated and in such a bad mood, he unconsciously slammed his dorm room shut when he arrived. He winced at the loud noise, really hoping he hadn’t woken anyone up.

“ _Oikawa ‘e mierda…_ ” came Iwaizumi’s sleepy drawl.

_Ah, shit._

Iwaizumi Hajime was Oikawa’s best friend and roomate. His grandparents, who’d practically raised him, were from Spain, so Iwaizumi himself was fluent in Spanish. Oikawa wasn’t. He only knew a couple of phrases, the ones his friend used the most. Among those was, “ _Oikawa de mierda,_ ” meaning something along the lines of “shitty Oikawa.”

Iwaizumi slowly sat up, yawning loudly and rubbing the sleep off his eyes. “What time is it? Why are you up?”

Oikawa tried to act nonchalant. “I went to use the toilet,” he said, making his way to his own bed. He was inches away from tucking himself in and escaping the scrutiny of his best friend when he caught him. “You’re not wearing pijamas, you fucking liar.”

_Busted._

Oikawa sighed and sat on his bed, facing Iwaizumi. “Sorry.”

“I haven’t even asked what you did yet.” 

“Still, sorry.”

Silence filled the room for a couple of seconds, the creaking of an old tree branch and distant snoring the only things audible.

“Okay, what’s wrong. Something happened, I know you,” said Iwaizumi.

And he did. He knew Oikawa like no one else. Hell, he knew what Oikawa was feeling and thinking even before Oikawa himself. He smiled in the darkness.

“I went to talk to Ushiwaka.” Oikawa knew that beating around the bush would be useless with Iwaizumi. He remained silent, urging Oikawa to continue his story. “Turns out he’s an ass and I was a fool for even agreeing to go to the stupid Ball with him.” He hung his head, nervously scratching his neck. He could feel Iwaizumi’s gaze burning a hole in him, even in the dark.

“All joking aside, I don’t really know what to tell you besides this: Don’t let it get to you. Honestly? You don’t need that emotional garbage. Just… focus on something else. You can still pretend you’re sick and cancel the day of the Yule Ball. You’ll be fine, Oikawa.”

Oikawa smiled to himself. He was really grateful to have his best friend. It was an indescribable feeling.

“Now go the fuck to sleep before I throw you out at the Whomping Willow.”

_Ah, yes. Classic Iwa-chan._

He stripped down to his underwear and threw on an oversized hoodie; even with the heating and comfortable covers, it was too cold to sleep half naked. Even as he lay still in bed, he couldn’t force himself to sleep. Oikawa mentally cursed himself. He shouldn’t be caring about that asshole! So what if he wanted to throw his life away. It was none of his business. And yet, he turned and thrashed around in his bed for what seemed like forever, until finally, sleep got the best of him.

 

***

 

The next morning, Oikawa woke up with a massive headache and soreness in his neck. “Iwa-chaaan,” he whined loudly as he tried to drag himself out of bed.

Iwaizumi, who was already dressed and ready to start his day, stood in front of the mirror, knotting his tie. “Don’t look at me, it was your idea to go meet him in the middle of the night, when it could’ve easily waited until today.”

Oikawa wanted to slap himself in the face so, so badly. He’d gotten carried away by the adrenaline rush of the events that he hadn’t been thinking clearly. He groaned, rolling out of bed and falling on his side. “…Oww,” he moaned in a slightly high-pitched voice.

Iwaizumi payed his roommate no mind, running a hand through his hair to sort of smooth it down. He grabbed his bag and bid Oikawa farewell. “See you in Herbology, loser.” With that, he was gone, leaving Oikawa alone.

He groaned loudly, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. Despite the little time he had to sleep, he’d dreamt about the Quidditch incident he’d had in his fourth year. He used to be one of the best players in Slytherin, but his career had been cut short by that injury. The trauma of it, rather than the actual injury, had prevented him from even flying a broom again. He remembered being in the Hospital Wing, Iwaizumi angrily crying beside him, Matsukawa holding his hand, and Hanamaki turned away, looking like he was ready to punch the next person that stepped through that door. And Ushiwaka’s face… A mixture of shock, fear, and pain all seeping through his stoic mask…

Oikawa slapped his face with both hands. No use dwelling in the past, much less now. He sat up and looked at the clock. “Well, fuck. I’m late,” he exclaimed to the empty room. With a sigh, he got up and quickly took a shower, messily putting his clothes on while simultaneously brushing his teeth.

That was a rough day from start to finish.

Once he was done with classes for the day, he hurried back to the Slytherin Common Room, trying his hardest to avoid everyone. But _especially_ Ushijima.

He was almost at the base of the staircase when he saw him leaning against the wall next to the entrance to the Slytherin Dungeon. Oikawa stopped dead in his tracks.

To anyone **_but_** Oikawa (or so he claimed…), Ushijima looked really attractive. He was leaning against the wall in a way that didn’t look neither awkward nor forced, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, allowing his well-toned upper body to be easily noticed: his yellow and black tie rested happily between his big pectorals, and he had strong, muscly arms as a result of years of Quidditch and conditioning training. His gaze was distant, looking off into the distance as if deep in thought. And his short, brown hair was the cherry on top of the cake: that little extra detail that made his overall masculine look that much more desirable. In all honestly, he looked like a model. Even Oikawa would admit to that (maybe).

Ushijima noticed him then. There wasn’t much change in his demeanour, which kind of irritated Oikawa. He frowned and tried to ignore him, hoping to simply walk past him and for Ushijima to take that as a hint that he wasn’t welcomed. But when did Ushiwaka ever take a hint?

“Oikawa—“

He had gone down two steps, stomping his feet, when he slipped on the last one. The books he’d been carrying tumbled to his feet, but Oikawa remained unable to stop his fall. Fortunately, Ushijima managed to catch him just in time. He’d stepped forward and held Oikawa up by the upper arm, using the castle wall next to the spiral staircase as support, stopping his fall and preventing any grave injuries. Oikawa was breathing heavily, startled by the whole experience and the realisation that _oh my god I could’ve cracked my skull and died._

He looked up at Ushijima, who remained calm and stoic despite the situation. After making sure he was okay, he pulled on Oikawa’s arm, bringing him to an upright position. They hadn’t been counting on the fact their bodies would end up so close to each other. Oikawa’s mind was still processing what had happened, so they stayed that way for a couple of seconds, their chests brushing against each other with every rise and fall. Oikawa was looking back at the staircase, but when he turned his head back towards Ushijima, he found their noses almost touching each other. Their breath left their lips and became visible, mixing together and fogging up Oikawa’s glasses. He shivered, both from the sudden drop in temperature and the position he’d found himself in, yet never breaking eye contact.

Someone cleared their throat loudly next to them, snapping them back to reality. The Bloody Baron, the Slytherin house ghost, was impatiently tapping his ghastly foot on the air as he floated a few meters away from them. Oikawa stepped away from Ushijima, letting the ghost go up the staircase, not without a couple of disapproving sneers thrown over the Baron’s shoulder and directed at the two students. Oikawa bent down to quickly collect his belongings, but Ushijima mimicked his movements. When he was eye to eye with Oikawa again, who kept his gaze averted, he tried to pick up one of Oikawa’s books, but the other swatted his hand away, picking up the pace and hurrying towards the wall where the entrance to the Common Room was.

“Oikawa, wait. Please,” begged Ushijima, catching Oikawa’s arm in his grip.

“Leave me alone!” the other protested, his voice echoing off the walls. He looked back at Ushijima with angry tears welling up in his eyes, small sobs escaping his lips. Oikawa was angry, _really angry_. But he wasn't sure who was the target of all that hate: Ushiwaka or himself? All the places where Ushijima had grabbed him were burning, a white, hot, _raw_ pain that demanded to be felt. His glasses were still fogged up and he couldn’t see through the tears clouding his vision.

Ushijima slowly let go of him, looking at the floor and biting the inside of his lip. Oikawa took this as his chance to escape and made a run for the entrance, whispering the password so quickly he probably tripped over his words. Thankfully, the passage still revealed itself and he ran through it, leaving Ushijima standing alone in a cold basement. This was the second time Oikawa ran away from him, and he was afraid that it might become a habit.

He reached his dorm room, slamming the door and throwing his stuff on his bed. Once again alone in his room, he went into the bathroom and furiously fought to remove his clothes. Standing under the hot stream of water coming from the shower head, he cried.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa with glasses is my favourite thing, okay?  
> I got off work early today and forced myself to write! Please do enjoy.  
> Next chapter will be the Halloween Feast, where the contestants for the Tournament will be chosen. Will Ushiwaka and Oikawa finally have a confrontation where Oikawa doesn't end up running away for the sake of his emotional stability? Stay tuned to find out @u@.


	3. Hit Me Up If You're Interested In Getting Wrecked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this took so long! The last couple of weeks have been very busy for me. I recently quit my job, so I'll definitely have more time to write. Now then, enjoy reading!

Iwaizumi knew it was his cue to worry when he woke up and Oikawa was not around. Last night, he’d arrived at their room and Oikawa had already been asleep, which he didn’t really question since he hadn’t slept much the previous night. But this was different. Even if the world were ending, Oikawa Tooru would never willingly wake up earlier than needed. Iwaizumi rubbed his temples. This whole Ushijima situation was affecting Oikawa way too much, and consequently, Iwaizumi. He was going to have to do something about it, and quick.

He later found Oikawa reading in the Slytherin Common Room. No amount of concealer could disguise the dark circles under his eyes, visible even through his glasses. When he noticed Iwaizumi, he looked up and beamed like his usual self would, but it was evidently weaker. “Iwa-chan, morning!”

The other boy did not return the smile. Instead, he remained inexpressive and patted Oikawa’s head. “Don’t over do it. Remember you’re not alone,” he said. Oikawa looked down at his book, biting his bottom lip, unable to meet his best friend’s gaze. Iwaizumi’s hand went down to squeeze Oikawa’s shoulder once before letting go and walking out. But instead of heading to class, Iwaizumi took a small detour.

The Quidditch field was cold and windy. Iwaizumi shivered, rubbing his hands together. Ushijima was running laps around the field, severely underdressed but somehow still comfortable. He wore nothing but his sneakers, cold weather running pants, and a sleeveless grey hoodie. He didn’t seem like he had noticed Iwaizumi, and if Ushijima had, he made no sign to acknowledge Iwaizumi’s presence.

“Hey, you,” he called out when Ushijima was approaching the spot where he stood, “I’d like a word with you.”

The running boy now looked at him, but didn’t stop or say anything.

Iwaizumi frowned, not appreciating the fact he was being ignored. “It’s about Oikawa.”

Ushijima stopped dead in his tracks, a few meters away from Iwaizumi. He looked cautious, like he was assessing the situation, wondering what the Slytherin could possibly have to say about that. His expression didn’t change much, though. He just really looked wary of him. He stepped toward Iwaizumi. “What is it?”

Iwaizumi was taken aback by just how tall this boy was for a second, but returned to his senses and proceeded to carry out his mission. “Listen… We all know you have a thing for him, Ushiwaka. And honestly—yes, I know. It’s none of my business. But you’re coming on too strong, and it’s really messing with Oikawa, and consequently, with me. So I’m going to have to ask you to stop.”

“You are absolutely right, it’s none of your business,” Ushijima said, narrowing his eyes. He was clearly personally offended.

“Let me finish.” Iwaizumi crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to these feelings, ok? But Oikawa has too much to worry about right now; we both know his top priority is school. And if you really like him as much as you claim you do, you’re going to respect that and not let him get overwhelmed.” Their gazes were intense, and one could practically feel the tension between the two boys. They were both dead serious on what they said.

Ushijima hated to admit it, but Iwaizumi had a point. The past few days, his interactions with Oikawa had gone really wrong. It was almost as if he were afraid of him, and Ushijima wouldn’t be able to deal with it if Oikawa came to hate him. So he slumped his shoulders and relaxed his stance. His face fell and he stared down at his shoes. “What… should I do, then?”

Iwaizumi relaxed as well, resting his hands on his hips. “Don’t approach him, don’t talk to him. Let him be for a while. If you give him some space, he may or may not go looking for you of his own accord.” He shrugged nonchalantly. In all honesty, he felt bad about Ushijima. He pitied the poor kid for choosing the worst possible person to have a crush on. Oikawa was really high-maintenance and a lot of drama always surrounded him. Iwaizumi decided he should put a warning label on him to avoid future incidents. Warning: severe emotional baggage bound to sabotage your relationship. Proceed with caution. For real, though, Oikawa is a commitment-phobe, how is he the only one who sees it, Iwaizumi wonders.

“Alright,” says Ushijima, taking a deep breath to regain his composure. Feelings talk was so draining. “I’ll be going now.” With that, he picks his pace back up and starts jogging.

Iwaizumi looks after him for a few seconds before turning to leave. Whatever happened between Oikawa and him was still a mystery, but Ushijima didn’t look like a bad person. Annoyingly good at sports and socially inept, but he had reacted better than he had expected to the whole “stay away from Oikawa please” thing. Sure, there was no guarantee he’d keep his word, but… Iwaizumi had no reason not to trust him, either. His gut feeling was that Ushijima really cared about Oikawa, and he planned on listening to it.

“Maybe with time, things will get better and those two will stop giving me a migraine…”

 

***

 

That night was the Halloween Feast. On October 31st, there was a huge celebration thrown in the Great Hall, complete with Halloween-themed decorations, candy-filled pumpkins and cauldrons, apples and carrot cake, and a delicious meal amidst all that candy. The Hall was packed with students, the guest schools for the Tournament having arrived three weeks ago. They mingled among Hogwarts students for the most part, everyone only sorting themselves out when it was time for the Headmaster to give his speech before they could start eating. Oikawa had arrived a little late because he’d taken a nap, so he went directly to the Slytherin table and sat down next to Iwaizumi, who was returning from sitting by the Gryffindor table with Hanamaki and Matsukawa. Oikawa waved at the duo with a smile on his face. Hanamaki waved back, grinning as he stuffed his face with candy corn. Matsukawa also waved back weakly, looking slightly repulsed. He was diabetic, so seeing all that candy he couldn’t eat was definitely a bitter experience.

“Where were you?” Iwaizumi asked, eyeing Oikawa to see if he was okay, scrutinising his best friend to check for any signs of a confrontation with Ushijima.

“Sorry, sorry. Fell asleep studying,” he chuckled, patting Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

Just then, the Headmaster’s voice boomed throughout the room. “Umm… Yeah, okay. Listen up,” spoke the Headmaster, Ukai Keishin. His grandfather, Ukai Ikkei, had been the previous Headmaster, and when he retired, he made sure his grandson would be the one to follow in his footsteps, even if he was reluctant at first and still significantly inexperienced. But everyone can notice he’s trying his best, despite him being awkward at dealing with children. He cleared his throat. “Tonight is our special Halloween Feast. All gathered here should be grateful for such a good year we are having so far. We hope our guests from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang will enjoy this as much as we enjoy their company. Now, without further ado, eat up like it’s the end of the world. Ah, and one more thing. The participants for the Triwizard Tournament will be announced in 30 minutes.” With that, he stood down from the podium and joined the rest of the staff.

Iwaizumi noticed Oikawa clenching his fists when the Tournament was mentioned, but decided not to comment on it. They started eating and carried on with their business, enjoying what little time they could get to relax and just be teenagers. A line of teenage girls formed near Oikawa, all offering him some sort of candy and a poorly disguised lewd innuendo. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and kept eating, listening to Oikawa accepting their gifts with a smile. He wondered how he managed to always be nice to others who meant well, especially girls, even if his world were caving down on him.

Time flew by and the time for the announcements came. The Headmasters from the three schools stood near the podium. They took turns to explain how the participants were selected: they had hired impartial professionals to pass off as students and evaluate the development and performance of all those who were 17 and up, in order to choose the best qualified competitors. If they were selected, they’d have the choice to turn it down (but obviously no one wanted to ruin their school’s reputation like that, so it was incredibly unlikely).

Oikawa stopped breathing for a second, but Iwaizumi put a reassuring hand over his. “Hey, relax.” Oikawa managed to nod, sincerely worried. What if they picked Iwa-chan? He wouldn’t survive that. He just wouldn’t be able to handle that kind of stress.

Next, they called each participant one by one.

From Durmstrang, they called a tall boy with a weird hairstyle, as if he’d just gotten out of bed after sleeping for 12 hours, named Kuroo Tetsurou. He stood up and flexed, his fellow classmates cheering for him as loud as they could. Another boy with black and silver hair slapped him on the back and pulled him in for a hug, kissing his cheek and ruffling his hair, evidently proud that his friend had been selected.

The boy with black hair stood firm.

“Will you accept this challenge, Tetsurou?”

He squared his shoulders and puffed out his chest. “Yes, sir, yes!” he announced proudly, projecting his voice across the room. The boys from that school were really intimidating.

From Beauxbatons, a boy who was unnaturally pretty, with black, wavy hair and dark eyes, was chosen. His name was Akaashi Keiji. He stood up and looked around, a bit flustered and nervous but still confident and elegant.

“Will you accept this challenge, Keiji?”

He inhaled deeply. “Yes,” he breathed out, and the girls and boys of Beauxbatons clapped. It wasn’t as loud or vigorous as the previous group, but there was no doubt that each and every one of them was 100% supporting Akaashi. They seemed like a pretty tight group, those from Beauxbatons.

And lastly, it came Hogwarts’ turn. Oikawa felt like he was about to throw up any second now. They called—surprise, surprise—Ushijima Wakatoshi. He rose from his seat on the Hufflepuff table, and his presence was even more looming than Kuroo’s. There was a moment of silence as everybody stared at him, but it quickly disappeared into applause and cheers. Oikawa ran his hands up his face and through his hair, relieved to a certain extend but perhaps even more worried now.

“Will you accept this challenge, Wakatoshi?”

“Absolutely,” he said without hesitation. Everyone clapped. As soon as the noise subsided, Oikawa could hear some kids on his table making bets about who would win and if anybody would end up injured. Oikawa heaved, covering his mouth. Iwaizumi turned towards him, worried.

“Hey, you okay?”

Oikawa took a deep breath and nodded, his eyes closed in an attempt to steady himself. He was so angry, so upset that he’d react so strongly to something like this. He just couldn’t help it.

“Before you continue, we need to clarify a new rule that has been added for this year’s competition. The participants will be allowed to choose an advisor from their respective student body, who will accompany them throughout the whole challenge. In order to avoid any tragedies, the whole ‘you will stand alone’ rule has been terminated, at the very least for this instance. We can never be too sure nor too comfortable, and the students’ safety is our top priority. You must come with your chosen advisor to see either of the three Headmasters sometime this coming week. You will have until next Sunday. That is all. Please enjoy the rest of the evening.”

Upon hearing those words, Oikawa froze. He looked up, searching for him in the crowd.

_Where are you, you bastard? Where are you?_

He abruptly stood up when he spotted Ushijima, who was surrounded by people congratulating him. The sound of Oikawa’s plate and cup clattering made him look in his direction. Their eyes met.

Oikawa stared at him intensely, breathing heavily, challenging him to _just fucking choose me, I dare you_ with the look in his eyes. To his shock, Ushijima held his gaze for a second but looked away. He was actually ignoring Oikawa’s provocation.

Appalled, he slowly sat down, his mouth slightly open.

“Are you okay?” asked the boy sitting next to him.

“Yeah… Sorry about that,” he muttered absent-mindedly, still staring at nothing. On his other side, Iwaizumi groaned internally. Dealing with Oikawa was such a pain in the ass. He looked at his friend, analysing every little detail to predict how he would react next. Iwaizumi, as the seemingly only responsible adult, had to be prepared for a nuclear explosion at any given second. Oikawa Tooru was a bomb that could detonate unexpectedly.

The rest of the feast was pretty uneventful, but everyone could notice Oikawa was completely out of it.

 

***

 

“What the fuck was that!” Oikawa called out, his voice and the sound of his stomping feet echoing throughout the empty room. He’d managed to persuade a Hufflepuff girl into relaying a message to Ushijima: “meet me in the Astronomy Tower after this”. He didn’t care that they weren’t supposed to be there and that the place was off limits and that they’d be punished if caught, he was _angry_ and he would make all the noise he wanted.

Ushijima, who’d been looking out at the night scenery, turned around when he heard Oikawa. He looked serene, as if he already knew what would happen.

“What the fuck was that, huh, Ushiwaka? Weren’t you going to choose me as your advisor or something?!” he was shouting by this point, getting all up in Ushijima’s personal space. “I thought you had this _huge gay crush_ on me!”

Ushijima snapped. He took Oikawa’s wrists into his hands, gripping them tightly and earning a surprised gasp from the Slytherin. He made sure to hold him close, so he’d look him in the eye when he spoke. Oikawa looked bewildered and frightened, as if he couldn’t believe Ushijima had actually reacted.

“Yes, I do!” he said, his voice filled with more emotion than anyone had ever witnessed, “And that’s exactly why I won’t ask you to do something you don’t want to do! Do you think I haven’t noticed that you’re avoiding me? That you clearly find it unpleasant to be near me? I’m always, always, always thinking about you… But you’re not the center of the universe, Oikawa.” After he was done talking, he pushed Oikawa away rather roughly, enough to make him stumble, and turned his back on him. Ushijima walked forward a few steps and sat on the floor, on the place where he had the clearest view of the forest.

Oikawa was still standing, in complete and utter shock, in disbelief. He slumped his shoulders, taking in what had just happened and feeling guilty about the mean, harsh words he’d said.

Minutes went by before Oikawa approached Ushijima. He sat down next to him, moonlight coming in through the window illuminating the spot. They wouldn’t look at each other, though. “I’m… I’m sorry…” he whispered, his voice breaking. Oikawa cleared his throat. “That was not okay of me to say.”

“I’m sorry about your wrists,” said Ushijima, prompting Oikawa to look down at them. “They’re red.”

The Slytherin shook his head. “I think I deserved that.” He took his glasses off and put them away inside his shirt pocket. Slowly—carefully—he rested his head on Ushijima’s shoulder.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret out of pity. Please.”

“I’m not…” Oikawa whispered, feeling his face heat up at the sincerity of his words.

They remained in silence for a while.

“Ushiwaka.”

“Hm?”

“I don’t want you to die.”

“I won’t.”

“You don’t know that.” Oikawa sat upright, turning to his right to look at the Hufflepuff, who, in turn, finally looked at him.

“Would it really mean anything to you if I did?” he asked, judging Oikawa’s facial expressions.

The Slytherin frowned. “Yes… Of course.”

“So,” Ushijima asked, choosing to be brave and take a chance with his question, “you don’t hate me?”

Oikawa sighed, rolling his eyes. “To be honest, I thought I did. I wanted to hate you, because it was easier than having to stop and really think about how I felt about you. But I’m not sure if I can anymore.”

Ushijima’s eyes widened ever so slightly. He didn’t know what to say anymore, he’d been left speechless.

“Ushiwaka, do you know what ‘hubris’ means?”

He shook his head.

“It comes from Greek mythology—that’s a thing we have in the muggle world where people made up stories about gods a long time ago. It means that you’re so full of yourself that you think only you can do something the right way. I think that’s us right now.”

“I don’t understand…”

Oikawa looked him in the eye. “You, by thinking you’re the only one who can win the Triwizard Cup. And me, by thinking I’m the only one who can make sure you won’t die out there. We’re both fucking fools.” He laughed humourlessly. “The biggest fucking fools. But here we are.”

Ushijima just stared at Oikawa, who had leaned back and was propping himself up on his elbows, looking at the sky. Oikawa suddenly looked at Ushijima, a small, mischievous smile playing on his lips.

“So… Ushiwaka, what do you like about me?” he teased.

Ushijima turned away. “This is not the time nor place for that kind of conversation, Oikawa.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, I finished this chapter in a single day. It took me 6 hours, I'm so dead @-@. I actually had to cut out a scene where Bokuto reacted to seeing Akaashi for the first time because it would interrupt the pace of the story but next chapter I'll focus a bit more on them.  
> As always, thanks for reading!


	4. Love-Struck Fools Galore

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wish I could update more frequently ahhh but I honestly need a lot of time to think through what I'm going to write. I hope you enjoy this chapter as well, although it's a bit of a filler.

“Oh, man, oh man! Kuroo, come on! Help a guy out!”

“Bokuto, for the last time, I’m not choosing you as my advisor.”

“But— Bro, you _saw him_ , right?! He’s an angel! This is literally the only chance I’ll ever have to talk to him! I will _die_ if I miss this chance!”

Kuroo Tetsurou and Bokuto Koutarou walked through the Hogwarts castle side by side, the latter pestering the former as had become habitual since they were children. They both belonged to one of the guest schools, Durmstrang. As they made their way to the next classroom (since they were assigned a Hogwarts student to share a schedule with and as such were expected to attend said student’s classes, although it was mostly to pass the time and not an actual obligation), Bokuto kept talking to Kuroo very loudly from both sides, alternating between walking on his left or his right. Kuroo quickly became irritated.

“Bokuto, would please give it a rest?!” he snapped at him, then rubbed his hands together and exhaled over them. “And pick up the damn pace, it’s freezing.”

Bokuto stopped walking. “…Wow, _someone’s_ grumpy.” He rolled his eyes, shoving his hands inside his pockets and catching up to Kuroo.

“I’m sorry,” Kuroo apologized after a couple of minutes in silence, “I just have a lot on my plate right now.” He frowned, looking at his feet as he walked.

“Well, do you want to like, talk about it?” his friend offered, bending over slightly and looking up as he walked to see Kuroo’s face. He shook his head.

Bokuto returned to an upright position and shrugged, looking away. “O-kay…”

They finally reached their class when Kuroo decided to come clean. He took a sheet of paper from his bag and started writing. Bokuto sat patiently next to him, playing with a quill pen. He tried to balance it on his upper lip while leaning back in his chair.

It took Kuroo about 5 minutes to finish writing, a whole page complete with scribbled out words and indiscernible handwriting from thinking faster than he could write. He held the page out to Bokuto. “Hey—“

Just then, the boy Bokuto had been fawning over the whole morning entered the classroom with an elegant stride that looked like it belonged in a fashion runway. He looked around, searching for a place to sit.

Bokuto looked up and fell out of his chair when he spotted the boy. The noise made him look in their direction. Bokuto quickly stood up, trying to play it cool while standing in an awkward position, with one hand on the back of his neck and the other barely touching the table. “Uh,” he cleared his throat and spoke in a fake macho voice, “there’s an empty seat over here, if you want it.” He said this while raising his eyebrows and looking back and forth between the chair and the boy.

The Beauxbatons boy smiled and made his way to the seat Bokuto had offered him, sitting and turning to him. “Thank you. I'm Akaashi Keiji.”

“Bokuto Koutarou, and it's no problem, no problem at all…” he whispered the next part, “you perfect being.” He sat down but refused to face the boy, his face heating up.

The boy chuckled. “What was that last bit?”

Bokuto immediately snapped his head towards him, his red ears betraying that he was actually incredibly nervous and not suave at all. “Nothing, nothing.” He whispered the words, “You’re beautiful,” when Akaashi looked forward, which prompted the other to cover his mouth to stifle a laugh. The boy glanced at Bokuto with that playful smile still on his face, then looked away and got out a book to read.

Bokuto turned around to face Kuroo once again, and while he was grinning from ear to ear, he found his best friend giving him an _are you fucking kidding me_ _now_ look. He was still holding out the paper. Bokuto looked at it and took it with an, “Oh, right.”

Before Bokuto could start reading, the boy next to him tapped his shoulder to get his attention, immediately making him forget about the paper, which ended up discarded on the floor. Bokuto focused what little attention span he had entirely on the boy.

Kuroo sighed, picked up the paper, and then gently banged his forehead against the cold surface of the table multiple times.

That night, Bokuto wouldn’t shut up about how Akaashi was the divine grace incarnate and how he was so incredibly nice and pretty and perfect. He’d never been more excited since they got there, and that was quite hard to beat when referring to the guy who would shout because a leaf fell on his head. Kuroo, on the other hand, could not give a single shit. He sipped some coffee as he debated long and hard about who he’d choose as his advisor while Bokuto nearly wrecked their room, jumping on their beds.

Kuroo excused himself and stepped out for a bit; going on a walk helped him think. He sat on the floor when he found a nice spot and whipped out his cellphone, dialling the only person he could talk to about his problems.

At the third ring, a familiar voice spoke up, “Tetsurou?”

Kuroo smiled, visibly relaxing at the sound of his boyfriend’s voice. “Hey there, babe.”

“I thought you weren’t allowed to use your phone over there?” Daichi said from the other end.

“Just goes to show how important you are for me to sneak in a call,” he teased, chuckling. Sawamura Daichi was his boyfriend of 8 months, who was in his first year of Law school in the United States, and a year older. He was, unfortunately, a muggle, so Kuroo had to lie to him about the wizarding world for a long time, but last summer he had finally confessed. Daichi took it calmly, admitting that he’d already been told about it by his cousin, who was a witch. It was the greatest relief for Kuroo, the type of person who worries themselves sick over the littlest things. To have the person he cared about the most accept him for what he is made him extremely happy.

“So, to what do I owe the honour of such an event?” asked Daichi, sounding rather pleased that he had received that call.

Kuroo sighed. “It’s… It’s just that I’m kinda scared.”

“Scared?” Kuroo could practically see Daichi furrowing his brow. “Why’s that? What happened?”

Kuroo told him everything. How he was chosen to participate in the Tournament, how he had to really think about who was going to be his advisor, how nervous he was about it because of the things he’d heard from the previous Tournaments, everything. He felt dizzy and out of breath by the time he was done.

“You know it’s really unhealthy to try to live up to everyone’s expectations, right?” commented Daichi.

“Yes, I know. But it’s hard to turn down something so important in front of hundreds of people who look up to you.”

“True… Ok, I’ll tell you what. Every night for the following week you’re going to call me and we’ll have a little pep talk. How does that sound?”

Kuroo smiled, slightly amused. “It sounds awesome. Thanks, you’re the best.” He made kissing noises, which he knew embarrassed Daichi.

“Alright, alright, it’s not a big deal, stop that,” the other said, chuckling. His laughter died down. “But seriously, Tetsurou? Be careful. Take care of yourself. I am confident that you can do anything you put your mind to.”

Daichi sure had a way with words that somehow could boost someone’s morale by 200%, Kuroo thought. “Yeah, babe. Talk to you later, I gotta go back to make sure my roommate hasn’t trashed our room. See ya.”

“Bye. I love you.”

Kuroo’s cheeks felt hot. He really admired his boyfriend, and one of the reasons was because he could say those words so serenely. It filled him with pride, and he really did feel loved.

“I love you too, Daichi.”

 

***

 

“What is that smell?” Iwaizumi said, wrinkling his nose.

Oikawa laughed. “That, my dear Iwa-chan, is cologne. One day, when you become a big boy, you’ll understand its wonders.”

He shook his head and rolled his eyes. “What are you even putting that on for?”

Oikawa answered from the bathroom of their dorm, combing his hair in front of the mirror. “It’s a Friday night, Iwa-chan. Duh. Also, I’m going to a party.”

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow. “A party? Why all of a sudden?”

“The seventh-years are throwing a party for the Triwizard Tournament champions-to-be.”

“And why exactly are you going?”

“Oh. Didn’t I tell you?” He turned around and walked over to Iwaizumi’s bed, plopping himself down next to him. “Ushiwaka and I made peace. I’m going to be his advisor.”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened. “So _that’s_ why he’s been following you everywhere this week?”

Oikawa pretended to be fixing the sleeves of his dress shirt as an excuse to look away. “Yeah… I guess.”

“Oikawa, are you sure about this?”

“What? The party?”

“No, you idiot,” Iwaizumi slapped him over the head, “the Tournament! You have no obligation to get involved, you know? Did you really think it through?”

Oikawa looked down with a small, sad smile. “I did. Believe me, I thought about it _a lot._ But it just feels like something I have to do.”

Iwaizumi stared at him for a few seconds before sighing and going back to flip through his magazine. “You’re an idiot. But I respect your decision. Don’t fuck it up.”

“Feh. I won’t! Who do you take me for?” Oikawa grinned. “Well, then! I’m off to the party! Bye bye, Iwa-chan! If I see any cute girls I’ll let them know you’re single and ready to mingle… Although I doubt they’ll be interested in someone as plain as you pffft.”

He ran out the door just before the shoe Iwaizumi threw at him could hit him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aha! Next chapter will introduce a new character! It's a surprise uwu. Look forward to that party, folks!


	5. Really Attractive Disaster

When Oikawa arrived at the Great Hall, it looked nothing like it did a couple of days ago. All the tables were gone, the ceiling was showing a clear night sky complete with shooting stars and a big, round full moon, the walls were decorated with tapestries depicting the coats of arms from the three participating schools: Hogwarts, Durmstrang, and Beauxbatons. A band composed of Gryffindor students Oikawa recognized was playing music up on the small stage, the only thing that had not been changed about the setting. The room was buzzing with energy, teenagers dancing and talking and playing pranks on each other. He wondered for a second if they had actually gotten permission from the Headmaster to throw said party, as they claimed they had…

He made his way through the crowd of people, trying to find someone he knew. Of course, since Oikawa was pretty popular, lots of people greeted him warmly. But those were just acquaintances, and he wasn’t particularly comfortable in that environment to spend the night without some sort of emotional support. It wasn’t that Oikawa had never been to a party before, but, as much as the idea of it excited him, the actual experience wasn’t so satisfying. And thus, he continued his search for someone to talk to.

He actually wanted to find Ushijima. This past week, they’d been practically glued to each other. It was quite funny to watch such a big, bulky guy like Ushijima following Oikawa around like a lost puppy. He didn’t really mind, though. At first it had been embarrassing to be seen together in public (since most likely everyone thought they were a couple by now), but eventually it became easy to ignore the stares. It was mostly Oikawa doing the talking, though: complaining about the cold, sharing random bits of information about the muggle world, reciting everything he’d read on a certain subject the night before a test. Ushijima attentively listened to him for hours, and he seemed rather happy about it. One time, Oikawa thought he’d heard Ushijima mutter something along the lines of, “I’m happy knowing as much about you as I can,” although Oikawa had pretended not to notice at the time because that boy was just so damn embarrassing.

Oikawa’s pocket suddenly began to vibrate. He took out his phone and checked the screen. “Iwa-chan?” he answered, putting a finger over his other ear to drown out the noise.

_“Oikawa de mierda, tu noviecito se apareció aquí de la nada—“_

“What?” Iwaizumi had been spoken really fast and in Spanish, so Oikawa naturally didn’t understand a thing.

He sighed. “Ushiwaka came to pick you up. He wants to know where you are.”

Oikawa slid a hand down his face and groaned. “Did he really? Sorry, Iwa-chan. Tell him I’m at the Great Hall and that he needs to get here quick.” He could hear his best friend cursing in Spanish some more before he hung up.

Suddenly, the music changed. It was a tune anyone with a slight knowledge of the muggle world would recognise. It was almost as if every half-blood abruptly left whatever they were doing to pay attention to the song. Oikawa grinned, stowing his phone away.

_**Nice to meet you, where you been?** _

_**I could show you incredible things** _

Oikawa started singing to himself, looking around and noticing how a bunch of other people around him were doing the same thing, while others looked at their friends in utter confusion. It was hilarious.

**_Magic, madness, heaven, sin_ **

He unexpectedly made eye contact with a boy. But not just any boy. He was honest to goodness the prettiest, most beautiful, absolutely drop-dead gorgeous boy he had ever seen in his life and that was saying a lot, considering he wasn’t even wearing his glasses. He acknowledged the fact Oikawa was also mouthing the lyrics to the song and flashed him a smirk.

**_Saw you there and I thought_ **

**_Oh my God, look at that face_ **

The boy started walking towards Oikawa, and he consequently started to panic. He stopped singing, his mouth instead hanging open in an attempt to say something, anything. He momentarily forgot how to function.

**_You look like my next mistake_ **

**_Love's a game, wanna play?_ **

By now, they were face to face. He was slightly shorter than Oikawa, he could see over the top of the boy’s head by a small margin. The boy laughed as he stopped singing, stretching out his hand for Oikawa to shake. He did so nervously, feeling his whole body heating up as the boy leaned in to kiss both of his cheeks once. “Koushi,” he said with a very faint accent.

 _Ah, French,_ Oikawa thought, sending a silent thank you to whatever baguette-lover had started the tradition of greeting people like that and had landed him not one, but two kisses from a ridiculously attractive person.

“Tooru,” he said, taking a moment to really take in the person before him. His hair was an ashy, grey tone, his eyes brown and warm, and he had this cute little mole under his left eye that Oikawa came to love immediately.

“You like Taylor Swift?” Koushi asked, openly eyeing Oikawa up and down, much to his embarrassment. Oikawa knew he was good-looking, but most people who intended to flirt with him weren’t as straight-forward and blunt, so Koushi’s boldness came as a surprise. A rather pleasant one, if he were to be completely honest.

“Who doesn’t?” Oikawa replied with a smile, daring to inch closer to Koushi. “I haven’t seen you before, are you from another school?”

He nodded, pointing to his dress shirt, which had his school’s coat of arms embroidered over his heart. “Beauxbatons, yes.”

As easy as that, they struck up a conversation. Oikawa found himself admiring every single gesture Koushi did. He was just so elegant and refreshing, he felt overwhelmed by his presence. Everyone in the room disappeared, all he could focus on was this charming Beauxbattons boy with whom he had so much in common.

 _He really just—really gets me,_ Oikawa thought, after swapping stories about the things that had impressed them the most when they found out about magic with Koushi.

Another song Oikawa recognised started playing; it was “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk.

Oikawa chuckled. “Wow, I remember when that song used to play all the time. Do you know it?”

Koushi scoffed. “Please, Tooru. You insult me. Where do you think Thomas and Guy-Manuel come from?”

They both laughed, until Koushi made a provocative face. Oikawa gulped. “Care to dance?” he purred, his voice acquiring sensuous undertones.

Oikawa went into panic mode and acted on impulse. “I-I think it’d be better if we stepped outside for a while!” he stumbled over his words, taking Koushi’s hand and dragging him towards the exit. He really, really hoped Koushi didn’t notice how sweaty Oikawa’s hands were.

They managed to wade through the crowd of dancing teenagers until they were outside the Great Hall. Oikawa exhaled in an exaggerated way. “Thought for a second we wouldn’t make it.”

Koushi laughed. “Well, we’re outside now. What do you want to do?”

_Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck._

Oikawa was honestly so, so very nervous. Hot people were intimidating. Hot people who flirted with you even more so. It’s not like he had no experience with this kind of situation, but he certainly was rusty. He’d been so busy with school that his first (and last) girlfriend had broken up with him 2 years ago. Meaning he hadn’t been intimate with anyone in a long time. This was also his first time dealing with a boy. He tried to convince himself that he was just getting the wrong idea and nothing was going to happen.

“Um, can I ask you a question? Are you—?”

“Gay?” Koushi cut him off, raising an eyebrow and putting his hands on his hips. “No, I’m bisexual. And yes, we do exist.”

Oikawa breathed in sharply.

_Oh, crap. Oh, crap crap crap._

He just stood there like a statue, playing with his own lips and looking Koushi in the eye.

Koushi smirked. “Now, are you going to kiss me or should I find—“

Oikawa didn’t let him finish that sentence.

His instincts took over and he just did whatever he felt like doing. His brain went on “oh, fuck it,” mode. Oikawa took Koushi’s face between his hands and pressed their lips together. It started out gently, because Oikawa was afraid he might do something wrong and upset Koushi. Much to his amazement, Koushi deepened the kiss, Oikawa following lead after the other let out a small moan.

Koushi’s hands explored Oikawa’s back, entangling his fingers on Tooru’s brown, soft locks of hair. Oikawa, in turn, rubbed circles with his thumbs over Koushi’s cheeks while he playfully bit down and sucked on the boy’s lower lip, earning him another moan that prompted Oikawa to grind his hips against Koushi’s. Every little thing he tried on Koushi got a positive response. Sometimes _too_ positive. Oikawa had to hush his make out partner a couple of times.

 _I’m so glad I agreed to be Ushiwaka’s advisor,_ was his last thought before Koushi’s kisses made him lose the ability to reason.

 

***

 

Ushijima had arrived late to the party because he’d taken some time deciding what he was going to wear.

“Ushiwaka, for fuck’s sake, you have _two_ ties. How hard can it be?” Oikawa had said earlier that day, but he just didn’t understand. When it came to anything related to Oikawa, Ushijima would not tolerate anything short from perfection. In the end, he’d chosen the navy blue tie with a quill and ink pattern on it. He hoped Oikawa would like it.

After arriving at his dorm and his roommate, Iwaizumi, telling him Oikawa had already left, Ushijima headed to the Great Hall. But it was really hard finding Oikawa in such a big crowd, even more so without a calling device like the one Iwaizumi used. If he recalled correctly, Oikawa had told him those were called “cellphones” and that he should get one. He walked around for a few minutes but did not spot him. Finally, he decided to ask someone if they had seen him. A girl from Ushijima’s house told him she’d seen Oikawa heading outside. Ushijima thanked her and started heading back where he’d come from alongside a group of upperclassmen. He looked around, disappointed to find no Oikawa. With a sigh, he was about to step inside when he heard a faint sound, the sound of two moist things bumping against each other and recoiling. Ushijima followed the sound to a corner lit by a single candle on the wall.

What he saw there would haunt him for at the very least the entirety of the following month. Oikawa and some boy were all over each other, kissing passionately and touching each other messily and desperately. Ushijima must have gasped out loud, or made some sort of involuntary reaction, because the pair noticed his presence then.

“Ushiwaka,” Oikawa said breathlessly, looking like he’d just seen a ghost. He had taken two steps back, putting some distance between the boy and himself.

Ushijima looked away. “They’re, uh… Looking for the competitors…”

“Oh! I have to go now,” said the stranger, quickly fixing his hair and clothes. He pulled Oikawa down by his tie to quickly peck his cheek. “Bye, Tooru.”

“What?”

“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m the advisor for Beauxbatons during the Tournament.” He smiled innocently and walked past Ushijima, heading back towards the room. That left him alone with Oikawa, who was looking at the ground to his left and rubbing the back of his neck.

They were silent for a long time.

“We… We should be heading inside,” Oikawa said, glancing cautiously at Ushijima.

“I think I’m going to sit this one out. The only reason I came to this party was because of you, and…” he trailed off. Ushijima shook his head. “Nevermind. I’m just going back to my room now.” He started walking in the opposite direction but stopped to look at Oikawa over his shoulder. “Good night… Tooru.”

Oikawa made no effort to stop him. Instead, he went inside the Great Hall to look for the charming advisor from Beauxbatons who'd left him with blue balls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to dedicate this chapter to my friend Paltita (avocado-bear on Tumblr) for showing me the light with her amazing OiSuga art. You rock.


	6. I Did Not Sign Up For This Shit

Soft, pale pink lips trailed kisses down Oikawa’s neck, in a way that was so incredibly soft nobody would ever accuse them of being the same lips that kissed his own so passionately—so fiercely—merely moments ago. He shivered under Koushi’s touch, prompting him to grin mischievously. “You like that?” the boy with the ash-coloured hair whispered sensuously, nibbling the skin right behind Oikawa’s earlobe. He, of course, could say nothing; Oikawa was dazed and barely functioning, trapped in a lustful daze. Koushi slowly started to make his way downwards—trailing his delicate fingers teasingly over Oikawa’s chest, abdomen, lower tummy—until he reached his belt. Koushi started expertly undoing it, as if that motion were already something so common he could push it to the background of his mind and leave his hands to move on automatic.

Oikawa stopped his hands, sending an embarrassed look to his more-than-eager partner. “Are you sure?”

Koushi rolled his eyes, smiling wider. He leaned forward to kiss Oikawa’s lips. “No talking unless it’s to say how good I am at blowjobs, Tooru.”

He gulped, sort of smiling crookedly and managing to nod his head. Oikawa figured his whole face must have been red by now. Koushi was just too darn smooth, he just knew too much about being intimate with someone, it left Oikawa feeling more than just a little inexperienced. 

Koushi returned to his business, unbuttoning and unzipping Oikawa’s pants. He planted little kisses all along the area where the waistline of his underwear met his skin, making Oikawa gasp and bite his bottom lip, as well as push his hips up towards Koushi’s touch.

An irritated knock on the door brought them back from their small bubble of libido. They both jumped at the noise, startled, and sat up on the bed, Oikawa trying his best to fix his pants as quickly as he could. “ _Oikawa de mierda_ , time’s up, I gotta study,” came Iwaizumi’s voice from the other side.

“Ooh, someone’s in a bad mood,” Koushi joked, picking his shirt up from the floor.

“You have no idea, he might just kill me after this,” Oikawa replied, running a hand through his hair in a failed attempt to smooth it down or at the very least to keep it from becoming a neon sign over his head that said “I WAS GETTING IT ON”.

“ _Un momento, por favor. Ya le abro,_ ” Koushi called out, surprising Oikawa and possibly Iwaizumi.

“You speak Spanish?” he asked, staring at Koushi with wide eyes.

“ _Oui, bien sûr,_ ” he chuckled, “And also Italian.”

Oikawa was amazed. “Is there _anything_ you can’t do?”

Koushi finished putting his shoes back on and kissed Oikawa, first on both cheeks and then on the lips. “Let’s hope you never find out.” With that, he started walking towards the door. “See you tomorrow, Tooru,” he casually commented over his shoulder, looking at him with hooded eyes and a naughty smirk, causing Oikawa’s heart to flutter. Koushi opened the door to Oikawa’s room, greeted Iwaizumi, and left the Slytherin dorms.

Iwaizumi walked in looking frustrated and with his arms folded over his chest. “Care to explain what the fuck was that? Also, one, put a shirt on, you pig; and two, wipe that stupid grin off your face, it’s creeping me out.”

Oikawa stood up from his bed, approaching Iwaizumi with his hands raised in front of himself so as to calm Iwaizumi down. “Okay, listen, I can explain, Iwa-chan. I know I asked you to stay out of the room for half an hour, and it was all out of the blue, and I interrupted your studying, but I promised to pay you! And I will, I swear! I-It was for a good cause.”

Iwaizumi groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. “Oikawa, making out with the enemy is not ‘a good cause’.”

“I know, I know, but don’t think of Koushi as ‘the enemy’, think of him more as ‘a possible boyfriend’? Like, in the future, when this Tournament's done?”

Iwaizumi raised an eyebrow in a judging way. “Do you even know his full name?”

Oikawa grinned, then frowned. “Ah—No.” He returned to being cheerful. “But, we’ve only known each other for 5 days.”

Iwaizumi’s anger turned into concern for his best friend. “And that’s exactly my point… Oikawa, can’t you see? You’re already getting your hopes up, even though you barely know him. Not to mention, he lives in another country, he goes to another school, his life is completely different from yours. I’m just worried you might be jumping into things too fast, you know? I honestly don’t want you to get hurt… I had enough for one lifetime with the Ushiwaka mess.”

There was a change in Oikawa’s behaviour at the mention of Ushijima, Iwaizumi noticed. Oikawa visibly cringed, looking away. Was that guilt in his eyes?

“Oh, fuck. I know that face. Did something happen? _Again?_ ”

Oikawa made a sour face. He hadn’t even seen Ushijima after what happened at the party 5 nights ago. Oikawa was beginning to suspect he might be avoiding him. “He… saw me and Koushi kissing… The night we met,” Oikawa confessed, having mixed feelings about the whole situation. On one side, he knew he didn’t owe Ushijima anything, they were nothing more than friends stuck together working to win a Tournament. On the other side, he felt really bad about him finding out in such a crude way that the “love of his life”, as he’d once put it, had the hots for another person.

Iwaizumi winced. “Ouch. Must’ve been rough for the guy.” He shook his head, dismissing the matter. “Anyway, just don’t do anything stupid. Stop being so naïve and either take things slow with the Beauxbatons guy or acknowledge it’s just gonna be a fling and nothing more. Please.”

Oikawa sighed, falling back on the bed. “Yes, yes, I’ll do my best, mom.”

Iwaizumi threw a pillow hard at his best friend’s face.

 

***

 

“What the fuck?”

Kuroo was so done with the Tournament before it had even started. He’d been woken up at 5 in the morning by a blinding orb of light that demanded to be followed, and wouldn’t stop pestering him until he got out of bed. He complied after a couple of minutes, unable to fall back asleep with the thing shining so brightly right next to his face. Kuroo threw a pair of boots and a heavy coat on before stepping outside into the cold. The orb suddenly stopped a few feet in front of Kuroo, then shot through the sky, challenging him to chase it. He cursed under his breath, sprinting after it. The cold pre-dawn air burned his lungs, and he couldn’t stop shivering. He was still half asleep, and he stumbled a few times, almost tripping and face-planting against the hard castle floor, which would not be good at all.

The orb of light turned from white to green as it led Kuroo outside the castle and along the edge of the forest, ultimately stopping its flight atop a big frozen pond, about the size of a small bedroom. Kuroo bend over to catch his breath, coughing from the strain his lungs were subjected to. Another white orb flew past his head, slowing down and finally coming to a halt before turning green and fusing with the first one. Kuroo could hear another person approaching, their heavy footsteps making a sound as they crushed the thin layer of snow covering the grass. Soon Ushijima came into Kuroo’s view, although they did not know each other yet, since Ushijima had skipped the party.

“Who are you?” Kuroo asked, out of breath, as he straightened himself and turned to look at the stranger. He was dressed in sports clothes, and Kuroo didn’t want to believe anyone would be up willingly at this god-forsaken hour, much less exercising.

Before Ushijima had a chance to reply, the third orb whooshed past them, repeating the same thing the previous one did. Now there was a big orb of green light the size of a basketball floating above a frozen body of water.

Another boy was running behind it. “Get away from it!” he shouted desperately at them, motioning with the hand that was not holding his wand for them to keep their distance.

Ushijima and Kuroo looked back at the thing—which was now glowing more intensely and growing in size—then at each other, and started running towards the last boy, the only one carrying a wand because the other two had been too stupid to remember they should probably bring theirs along everywhere they went since they were, you know, participating in a deadly contest that could possibly start any time now. Oops.

“ _Alarte Ascendare,_ ” the boy with a blue scarf shouted, brandishing his wand at the orb and sending it flying 15 meters upwards, where it exploded violently. Kuroo felt it could’ve be the magical equivalent of a flash-bang, because if he was sure of one thing from playing so many muggle video games, it was that stun grenades didn’t kill but left you completely disoriented and with a massive headache.

That’s pretty much what Kuroo felt when his vision cleared. All he could see for a whole minute was a black spot, which then divided into smaller black spots, before eventually dissipating and allowing Kuroo to see clearly—as clearly as one could see on a dark winter night. His ears were ringing and he felt his head was about to split open at any second.

He looked around, checking for anything dangerous, but only found the big guy on his knees, rubbing his eyes, and the other boy, with the scarf and the wand, lying on the ground, knocked out cold. He hurried to him and checked his vitals—he figured it was the noble and fair thing to do, since he did probably save their lives. He was fine, just unconscious. Kuroo hoped he’d wake up soon because he wasn’t sure he remembered enough from his first aid classes.

“Hey, hey kid,” he said, patting the boy’s pale cheek, “wake up, wake up, wake up.”

The big guy had apparently come to his senses now, because he was suddenly standing next to Kuroo. “I’ll carry him,” he said, looking at Kuroo, who nodded and stepped aside. Kuroo looked around as the other boy picked Unconscious Scarf Guy up, carrying him bridal style as if he weighted nothing, and wondering just how far they had wandered off from the castle.

Kuroo suddenly spotted letters in mid-air over the pond. It looked like cursive, but was completely illegible. He took Unconscious Scarf Guy’s wand. “ _Aparecium,_ ” he whispered, pointing the wand at the floating, fiery text, but nothing happened. “Tsk.” He turned around and started to walk away, but the big guy called for him.

“Wait, stop.” Ushijima said this while setting Akaashi down again. He approached the pond, noticing that the sun was starting to rise. “There has to be something else we can do.” They ransacked their brains for a spell that could help them decipher what the text said, because they both had a gut feeling that it was of extreme importance.

“Look down…” they heard a faint, weak voice calling from behind them. It was Akaashi, who’d woken up and had managed to sat up. He motioned at the pond with his head. “The ice.”

Indeed, now the sun’s rays hit the frozen pond and the text reflected on the surface of the frozen water, mirroring the image and making it legible.

Kuroo knew the Now-Conscious Scarf Guy was really smart... and that was going to be trouble.

 

***

 

_**“Give me food, and I will live;** _

_**Give me water, and I will die.** _

_**It is I that you shalt need,** _

_**If what you wish is to defeat,** _

_**The glittering points that downward thrust,** _

_**The sparkling spears that never rust.”** _

 

“Dude! What does that even mean?! Ugh,” complained Bokuto, crumpling a sheet of paper in his hand and throwing it against Kuroo’s head, who had fallen asleep on Bokuto’s bed an hour after he’d gotten back. They were in their pijamas, huddled up together because it was just so damn cold, and neither really felt uncomfortable with physical touch. Kuroo snored softly while Bokuto tried his best to make it up to his friend by properly doing his job as advisor. He kept looking at the picture on Kuroo’s cellphone—which he had carried in his coat pocket (instead of his wand because _priorities_ ) and could sling out to take a picture of the reflection of the fiery floating text just in time before it turned to smoke and dissipated.

Bokuto patted Kuroo’s messy bedhead. “Don’t worry, bro, I’ll have this solved in no time. Just you wait.” With renewed determination, he kept thinking and thinking about what could those lines mean and how they were connected to the first challenge.

Meanwhile, Ushijima wandered aimlessly around the castle, repeating the words of the riddle in his mind. It’s not like he wasn’t smart, but riddles just weren’t his strong point. He wished he could go to Oikawa for help, he’d know what to do. But every time he convinced himself to go talk to him, the images from a week ago flashed through his mind. It was such a pain, but he was so embarrassed he felt as if he’d never be able to look Oikawa in the eye again. Ushijima Wakatoshi was a fool for thinking he could ever have any right over the object of his affection, but it didn’t change the fact that he was incredibly hurt. He’d made so much progress with Oikawa, but it had all been in vain. Of course he was happy just being friends with him, and of course he wanted the best for Oikawa, but for once in his life he firmly believed _he himself_ was the best for Oikawa. And those complicated feelings gave him a heavy heart. With a sigh, he returned to his room in the Hufflepuff dormitories.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally the action's coming!! Thinking up decent challenges is a LOT of work, so your patience is very much appreciated. Thank you for reading the story so far, and I hope you enjoy how it develops. As for our dear Ushiwaka? Well, let's say that closure is still a few chapters away (because I love torturing my faves).


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